Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
A Republican-backed effort to legalize marijuana for limited medicinal purposes in Tennessee is officially dead for the year.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee decided to delay action on the proposal from Nashville GOP Sen. Steve Dickerson until 2016.
Chairman Rusty Crowe said there wasn't enough time to fully discuss the pros and cons of the bill. He said he'd create a summer study commission to look at the bill.
Dickerson didn't seem happy with the decision, but said he deferred to Crowe's opinion.
"I believe this is a conservative bill; it's equally based in compassion and science," Dickerson, an anesthesiologist, told the committee.
"Let us not criminalize the sickest among us, but rather I would encourage you to join me in allowing them to have access to this medication."
The move to delay action until next year is not a surprise: House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, recently touted aspects of the bill but said it needed more work before it could become law. Sen. Mark Green, a Clarksville Republican and doctor, also said he supports the general idea but said the bill needs some work.
Neither specified what work they wanted to see done on the bill.
Dickerson and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, recently announced they were pursuing a medical marijuana bill. Although different legislation is still advancing that would legalize cannabis oil, that bill allows a limited number of people to use cannabis oil, and only for seizures.
Dickerson's bill creates a system for people to grow, process, distribute and regulate medical marijuana in Tennessee. The oil form of the plant could be used - either eaten, rubbed on the skin or inhaled - for specific "debilitating medical conditions" listed in the bill.
The bill calls for the tracking of marijuana from seed to distribution center, with state regulations that monitor the potency of the product and many other components of the industry. Any patients who want to use medical marijuana would have to register with the state and receive a registry card - a system in place in many other states.
Robert Mikos is a law professor at Vanderbilt University who has studied marijuana laws around the country. Mikos told lawmakers that 35 states and Washington, D.C., have, to various degrees, legalized some form of medical marijuana.
That includes Tennessee, but the legalization is very limited: certain people participating in college-based trial programs are allowed to use cannabis oil.
He didn't advocate for the law, but discussed how it was similar or different than other laws. He said there are many components similar to other states, but a notable difference is that it allows personal cultivation of marijuana. The bill also doesn't allow smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes, something Mikos said was also different than most state plans.
People have raised concerns about the bill: the law would require patients to surrender their driver's licenses, would make it a crime for people to use medical marijuana in front of children, and would potentially restrict the number of commercial growers who could be eligible to come to Tennessee.
Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, also raised a common fear that the state could face federal legal issues by legalizing medical marijuana. President Barack Obama and the current federal administration have said they won't pursue convictions, but marijuana is still banned in any circumstance by federal law.
Dickerson recently told The Tennessean the bill could need some work, but he wanted to continue pushing for the bill this year.
The bill was officially sent to summer study by a 7-2 vote. Crowe said he would notify the public as to the time of the meeting.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: GOP medical marijuana bill delayed until next year
Author: Dave Boucher
Contact: dboucher@tennessean.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Tennessean
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee decided to delay action on the proposal from Nashville GOP Sen. Steve Dickerson until 2016.
Chairman Rusty Crowe said there wasn't enough time to fully discuss the pros and cons of the bill. He said he'd create a summer study commission to look at the bill.
Dickerson didn't seem happy with the decision, but said he deferred to Crowe's opinion.
"I believe this is a conservative bill; it's equally based in compassion and science," Dickerson, an anesthesiologist, told the committee.
"Let us not criminalize the sickest among us, but rather I would encourage you to join me in allowing them to have access to this medication."
The move to delay action until next year is not a surprise: House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, recently touted aspects of the bill but said it needed more work before it could become law. Sen. Mark Green, a Clarksville Republican and doctor, also said he supports the general idea but said the bill needs some work.
Neither specified what work they wanted to see done on the bill.
Dickerson and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, recently announced they were pursuing a medical marijuana bill. Although different legislation is still advancing that would legalize cannabis oil, that bill allows a limited number of people to use cannabis oil, and only for seizures.
Dickerson's bill creates a system for people to grow, process, distribute and regulate medical marijuana in Tennessee. The oil form of the plant could be used - either eaten, rubbed on the skin or inhaled - for specific "debilitating medical conditions" listed in the bill.
The bill calls for the tracking of marijuana from seed to distribution center, with state regulations that monitor the potency of the product and many other components of the industry. Any patients who want to use medical marijuana would have to register with the state and receive a registry card - a system in place in many other states.
Robert Mikos is a law professor at Vanderbilt University who has studied marijuana laws around the country. Mikos told lawmakers that 35 states and Washington, D.C., have, to various degrees, legalized some form of medical marijuana.
That includes Tennessee, but the legalization is very limited: certain people participating in college-based trial programs are allowed to use cannabis oil.
He didn't advocate for the law, but discussed how it was similar or different than other laws. He said there are many components similar to other states, but a notable difference is that it allows personal cultivation of marijuana. The bill also doesn't allow smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes, something Mikos said was also different than most state plans.
People have raised concerns about the bill: the law would require patients to surrender their driver's licenses, would make it a crime for people to use medical marijuana in front of children, and would potentially restrict the number of commercial growers who could be eligible to come to Tennessee.
Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, also raised a common fear that the state could face federal legal issues by legalizing medical marijuana. President Barack Obama and the current federal administration have said they won't pursue convictions, but marijuana is still banned in any circumstance by federal law.
Dickerson recently told The Tennessean the bill could need some work, but he wanted to continue pushing for the bill this year.
The bill was officially sent to summer study by a 7-2 vote. Crowe said he would notify the public as to the time of the meeting.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: GOP medical marijuana bill delayed until next year
Author: Dave Boucher
Contact: dboucher@tennessean.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Tennessean
